Government hands we should arrive at Communism. For each successive
interference of Government a reason from economy can generally be
found: as in the case of telegraphs, so in the case of tea. The real
objection to Government monopolising the retail of tea is, that so
long as we live under a system of competition we had better stick to
that plan altogether. At every turn of our present struggling system
there is waste; but the ultimate effect of competition is to reduce
the waste to a minimum. In the extreme case of tea it is pretty clear
that the system of stores will, when fully developed, give the public
all or nearly all they might hope to get from Government retailing,
and at the same time will reduce the loss by competition among tea-
retailers.

But there is one industry, one branch of the public service, which
should be the very last to be monopolised or restricted by
Government, viz., the carrying of passengers and goods from one place
to another, especially carrying by railway; and yet this particular
industry is hampered by law and restricted by monopolies above all
others--as I suppose, most unnecessarily; but I will take a few cases
in detail before arguing from the general principle of Free Trade.

There is one railway from London to Brighton: there are two railways
from London to Exeter. There are fewer quick trains daily from London
to Brighton than from London to Exeter. There are third-class
carriages at a penny a mile on all the quick trains from Waterloo to
Exeter: from London to Brighton the only penny a mile train starts at
an inconvenient hour and travels exceedingly slow. The Brighton
charge express fares on every convenient quick train they run; the
South-Western have no express fares at all. The South-Western third-
class carriages are padded, and as comfortable as the first; the